


Galactic Wayfinding

by whatever_idk



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Coruscant (Star Wars), Gen, Jamie is not up for this, Lower Coruscant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Self-Insert, Swearing, a random girl winds up in a different universe, and she has no idea what to do, she is on her own, survival is all that matters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26011423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatever_idk/pseuds/whatever_idk
Summary: Jamie, if asked, would call herself a relatively normal person. She led a normal life -  she could even risk calling it quite a boring one. She attended college, had a dog, occasionally went out. Nothing was out of the ordinary... until that one, fateful day.After waking up on a street corner on Coruscant after a seemingly typical night out with friends, it would be safe to say that everything had changed. And not for the better.Now the girl has to prevail in a crazy, supposedly-fictional place with nothing but her clothes and phone.Wishing herself good luck doesn't quite cut it.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	1. Welcome to the Underlevels

He walked out of the club, a small pouch full of credits jingling jovially at his waist. Muffled, repetitive sound of electronic music reverberated across the immediate area, making a distinct echo. With a slight bounce in his step, Tal walked past the weequay bouncer - _Noriq_ , or something like that - and a pair of smooching zeltrons.

He was in unusually high spirits today - as happy as he could be without the usage of his favorite _stuff_ , anyway.

Today was an exceptional day for business - so exceptional in fact that he had earned thrice the sum he could earn in a week. _A kriffin' week!_

Now came the time to wonder - what to do? Well, Tal decided, that _maybe_ it was time to finally pay some of those debts he made when gambling with-

Before he could finish that thought, having been lost in his head, he suddenly tripped over something that he hadn't even noticed was there before. The balosar fell to the ground straight on his face, letting out a loud, unintelligible ' _ough_ ' and a ' _kriff_ ' for good measure.

His mood was ruined.

Tal awkwardly scrambled off the ground and dusted himself before shooting a glare at the offending object - only to find out that the said object was in fact a person slumped against the wall.

A woman, actually. Or a teenage girl. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting.

An unconscious one, at that.

_Oh, bantha crap._

This didn't look good. Not one bit.

He wasn't the chivalrous type, Force no. Tal was the shady, drug-dealing type. Every sense in his body, as well as his antennapalps, were telling him to flee the scene and not get tangled up in additional poo-do.

And that was exactly what he was going to do - but then, many things happened at once.

Tal heard a hoarse voice he instantly recognized. It was one of his clients. "Ey! You!" He stiffened. He was hoping he would be gone before the man could realize- "You lil' swindlin' bitch!"

The balosar also registered movement in his peripheral vision. Someone close to him let out a groan, and soon after, a gasp.

"W-wha...? Where... am I?"

Ah, so she came to. Great.

Shuffling footsteps of an angry drunk thudded across the almost deserted street. Tal looked over at Narig or whatever his name was pleadingly but the alien just shrugged, adding fuel to his rising panic. The zeltrons probably hid somewhere or moved away from the commotion because they were nowhere to be seen.

"GIMME MY CREDITS, E CHU TA!" The six-foot-something hulking humanoid roared out and Tal felt the hairs on his hands stand on end.

Yeah, it was time to make a run for it

A hand clasped around his ankle before he could move. Tal almost lost his balance. He was always a bit scrawny and smaller than he should've been - getting raised on Balosar would do that to you.

"Wha- What the fuck is going on? Where am I!?"

* * *

The first thing Jamie felt was the steady throbbing of her head. It was accompanied by a ringing in her ears that was gradually rising in volume - it was as if a herd of frightened elephants had taken residence up there.

Her throat was dry and her mouth was parched. She felt something cold touching her back - something that was... metal?

_What the hell?_

Where was Meg? What was going on? Jamie began pondering, her panic slowly rising in spite of the splitting headache. Then suddenly, something violently crashed into her legs.

Someone tripped over and fell flat to the ground. A few jumbled, unintelligible sounds came from them - they were too quiet in presence of the ringing in Jamie's ears, which stubbornly refused to subside.

She tried to open her eyes but to no avail. Like they were glued shut.

"Ey! Y..." Jamie heard something more. The words were less jumbled, but apparently, they were spoken from some distance because it was harder to catch them. The ringing was still there, but now it _finally_ started to quieten. "...swindlin'... bitch..."

... _What_ _?_

_A swindling- what!?_

She knew she sometimes went overboard. Too much booze and she was out, that much was true. But this - it was never quite _this_ bad.

Jamie remembered going to the bar with Meg. They went inside, met up with Joey and Susanne... she couldn't recall anything from that point on - only distant flashes that didn't hold much meaning.

Had she scored the hangover of the decade? And had her friends just left her alone to fend for herself, blackout drunk, on the street? Nevermind their occasional arguments, it was very unlike them to do such a thing.

Somehow, her heart rate picked up even more. There was a nagging sensation at the back of her mind - it was like an urgent need to do something, to act - and to do so quickly.

Jamie succumbed to the feeling.

She distantly remembered that _someone_ had crashed into her prone from. What Jamie wasn't sure about was if they were still around.

If they weren't anybody she knew (which seemed to be the case), she _really_ hoped they left. She was already in a sketchy position as it was.

With all her strength, she willed her eyes to open. At first, they wouldn't budge. Fortunately, in what felt like hours of struggling, she managed it.

First, she saw an outline of a man. A rather short man, who was standing before her.

_Fuck!_

_Wait- what-_

Said man had something on his head - something weird. Was it a headpiece? No, those were-

Did she wind up in the middle of some strange ass comic con? If so, how the fuck did she _manage_ that!?

"W-wha...? Where... am I?" She blurted out without much thinking. Her voice came out raspy and weak.

The man seemed to be distracted by a shuffling sound made by something beyond her line of sight. Jamie craned her neck to get a look at just exactly what-

The scenery that greeted her, to put it lightly, wasn't what she had been expecting. To be truthful, it made her jaw drop so spontaneously that she was just left dumbly gaping at the abundance of neon lights, the odd, metal buildings all around her, and the flying (yes, _flying_ ) vehicles which flew by so fast they were barely visible to the naked eye.

At this point, her mind had shut itself down so thoroughly that she hadn't even noticed the giant of a man inching his way towards her.

_Where..._

_...the fuck..._

_...am I!?_

"GIMME MY CREDITS, E CHU TA!"

The loud, angry roar took her out of the daze. As if on instinct, Jamie reached out and... she grabbed that guy who was standing next to her by the ankle.

"Wha- What the fuck is going on? Where am I!?" She asked, desperation almost oozing from every word. Her body was suddenly awash in adrenaline.

If questioned why she did what she did - she wouldn't answer, because Jamie had _no idea_ what the hell she was doing.

"Hey! Let me- What the hell are you doing!?"

Oh, well.

"I- I- W-Where am I?!"

The man kept trying to wriggle himself out.

"On Coruscant, _sweetie_. Now... Let. Me. Go!"

_Coruscant? As in, **Star Wars** , Coruscant!?_

_What the fuck? What in the actual **fuck!**?_

The man finally managed to free himself, only to fall face-first to the ground.

Heavy footfalls, ever-louder, reverberated across the street.

Something deep within her screamed out in warning. A lump formed in her throat and she sprung ungracefully to her feet, swaying a little.

The man had also picked himself up from the ground. In the dim light, his features were barely distinguishable but it was safe to say he was shooting her a glare.

Right next second, he bolted.

Something struck the ground- no, not _something_ but nothing other than a _blaster bolt_.

And those were deadly, right?

_Fuck, fuck, fuck-_

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, in the same direction that the antennae guy went, without even a glance behind her back.

Looking at this, later on, Jamie was pretty sure it wasn't her that the mysterious assailant was trying to fry with the freaking sci-fi laser beams.

But still.

* * *

"Sorry!" She bumped into yet another anonymous passerby. Jamie ducked and squeezed through the pair of hooded - aliens? Yes, those were definitely aliens. "Ugh... Um, sorry about that too!"

There was some chatter behind her but she couldn't make out a word of what they were saying so she just kept on walking forward at a rather brisk pace. _Walking_ \- not running, not anymore.

After having passed a _significant_ distance - and having lost sight of the antennae guy - she was out of breath. She needed to stop to regain some of her strength.

Some of the adrenaline that kept her on high-alert had ebbed away then, and so she came to the conclusion that she was far enough from whatever trigger-happy maniac that was.

Right now, she was looking for a place to sit.

A quiet place, preferably devoid of any suspicious-looking strangers, where she could just plop down and silently panic - and maybe make sense of all this.

Because there was absolutely nothing else for her to do. _Nothing -_ nada _._

Hell, Jamie wasn't even sure if any of this was really happening. Maybe it was all just a dream?

_Then how_ _do I wake up?_

She definitely _wanted_ to wake up - it was going on for much too long. Pinching didn't work, either.

_You'll wake up, Jamie._

_Just- just think positive_.

_You'll wake up, in your bed, and you'll tell everyone about what a strange-ass dream you had._

_Yeah._

Her inner musings did little to quell the rising pit in her stomach. She knew something wasn't right - for some reason, it was all... so real.

Too real.

_This is **not rea** **l** **,** get a grip-_

Before she could plunge herself in more anxious wonderings about her position, she spied a small, scrappy bench in the far corner.

_Oh my god, **finally**!_ _For such a technologically advanced place, they sure don't care about comfort_ _all that much._

Soon she was sitting down, observing the steady flow of people. There was _a lot,_ almost a staggering amount of people in cloaks. Others visibly tried to blend in as much as possible by shrinking themselves and keeping their heads down, conversing in rather hushed tones.

Everyone seemed to be heading somewhere in a hurry. Somehow, it all _broadcasted_ a feeling of thick tension - almost of... fear.

She didn't know how something could broadcast a feeling - it shouldn't have been possible. But there she was, just... knowing that these people, innocently passing through the street were afraid.

_Dream logic, right!?_

Jamie could see so many different, weird-looking types of creatures. The flying _speeders_ zapped past overhead, piercing through the dark background devoid of any stars or a moon, painting a surreal picture.

She always liked Star Wars - since she was a little kid and her parents had first introduced her to this universe. Running around the house as a little runt, pretending to be a Jedi and whatnot.

She watched the movies _so_ many times, occasionally pestered her childhood friends about the fandom and how it was worth it to join - Jamie was positive it annoyed the shit out of them, but hey. Sacrifices had to be made.

Although, lately she was kind of out of the game. When she was in high school, it was easier to stay interested. Not nearly as much free time in college. Meeting new people led her to gaining new interests, as well.

So why have such a dream? Was it just her childhood knocking on the door, waiting to get invited back in?

_What if this **isn't** a dream?_

The almost-getting-shot by a blaster would be a testament to that. That rush of adrenaline - she's never had a dream that would make her feel so jittery.

_That would be crazy. People_ _have very vivid dreams, sometimes-_

Like Susanne, for example. Her dreams, the way she always described them - hell, they were like movies.

But Jamie has never had dreams like that.

She always wished she had them though, so maybe this was a wish come true-

The lone girl, sitting on the bench, was so deep in her thoughts she hadn't even noticed the three figures casually making their way towards her.

"Whatsa pretty girl like ya doing in a place like this, huh?"

_What the-_

Jamie almost jumped out of her seat.

Three aliens stood next to her. One of them was some sort of lizard-creature - he vaguely reminded her of Bossk the bounty hunter - she forgot how they were supposed to be called - the other was what she remembered to be a rodian. The third one, the one who undoubtedly spoke to her, was a large, leather-skinned weequay.

It was so odd, looking at them and not seeing the obvious signs of a costume and a bunch of makeup. They looked very... authentic.

A cold, prickly sensation spilled across her belly.

_I have a bad feeling about this._

Jamie quickly stood up and backpedaled a few steps. Against her better judgment, she decided to answer. "Just sitting, y'know. What's it to you?"

"No need to be _ssscared_ , girl. We are just _asssking_ you a friendly _quessstion_. You _sssem_ _lossst_ out here." The lizard-alien inqured, rows of sharp, pointy teeth visible as he spoke.

Somehow this hadn't reassured her.

"Yer not from around here, are ya?"

_Yeah, no shit Sherlock._

At this point, her heart was beating so quickly it might have as well been trying to jump out of her chest.

"Listen, I- I don't want any trouble, okay?"

Adrenaline was seeping into her system full-force once again.

"Y'know, there is a fee for the overworlders if they're trespassing out 'ere."

_Yeah, right. Overworlders?_

" _It'sss_ for our trouble. Then you're... free to go." That last bit was uttered after a slight bout of hesitation.

"I don't have anything on me." Jamie was wearing jeans and her turtleneck sleeveless shirt. There was nothing in her pockets sans her phone - and _if_ , for some insane reason, this wasn't a dream, she definitely wasn't parting with that.

"Nothing at all?" The weequay was taking something out of his...

She was backing away even more. The man had a gun - ahem, a blaster - in his hand, barely concealed from prying eyes, trained at her. "Don't move, or I'll blast ya."

Her back collided with another metal wall. People passing by were suddenly giving them a wide berth.

Her mouth went dry.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit this is bad-_

Her mind was frantically scanning the situation for options, anything that wouldn't get her shot.

"I- I'm broke. I'm not lying! I don't have any money! No money!" Jamie nervously gestured with her hands raised up.

He hadn't lowered his blaster, actually, he was aiming it up at her chest-

The rodian, who had to this point remained quiet, leaned over to the alien threatening Jamie's life and whispered something, his strange-shaped mouth moving slowly.

"Really? Her?" The rodian nodded.

"Well then, if ya really have nothing of value as you claim, then pray tell - where is that scum Tal Chi'rul?"

_That- the who?_

"Sorry, but I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Lemme enlighten you. That drug dealer you were seen with outside the... what was it called? Falling Star? Ya should be _acquainted_ quite well if you went all the way down here only to meet 'im."

It took her a while to understand exactly what the seedy weequay was talking about.

_That antennae guy! And they_ _think I'm a-_

_For real?_

"I don't know that guy. I _really_ don't know him. I've never even heard his name before! I only-" She stopped herself before she could divulge that she just randomly woke up on a street corner. "Listen, I was just, uh, passing by. So could you please leave me alone-"

"That's a load of bantha fodder."

She was ready to close her eyes and await the inevitable. Her body was as tense as a bowstring and she was sure her hands were uncontrollably shaking.

All of a sudden, the rodian paused. Then he shouted something in a language Jamie couldn't possibly know and pointed. The trio looked away for the fraction of a second.

In the panic-induced daze, by some miracle, no doubt, the more rational part of Jamie's brain managed to convince her that _now_ would be a great time to _get the fuck away_ from these three as fast as possible.

She ducked and started, once again running head-first into the sea of people, almost tripping over on legs and other appendages. There were some enraged cries and unintelligible curses thrown her way but she stubbornly kept on moving forward, too afraid to slow down.

Somebody tried to grab for her. She screamed and kept on going.

It felt as if Jamie had submerged herself underwater. Everything was blurring past her in a myriad of colors and smells.

She was sure about one thing - this was real. It was all one hundred percent terribly, _terrifyingly_ real - there was no other option. Dreams just couldn't make you feel this way.

Unless maybe she went batshit crazy. But Jamie sincerely hoped that was not the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there.  
> Soo... this is a fanfiction born out of a severe need of a self-insert in the Clone Wars/prequel era type of thing, where the character doesn't immediately go to the Jedi Council and saves everyone. Because I was just kind of tired of that - but then again it's not like I have seen many inserts in the prequel era in general (or maybe I wasn't looking for them where I should).  
> I want this story to portray the influence of the SW universe on Jamie, generally speaking. I write for fun and when I feel like it.  
> If you're interested, I welcome you to stay!


	2. The matter of survival

_What_ _am I going to do?_

Jamie was sitting down, her back against the wall, with her knees up to her chest. She stifled the urge to curl up in a ball.

_What the **fuck** do I do!?_

It's been hours since she's woken up on the street - next to the Falling Star, apparently. The mantra of _'what do I do'_ repeated across her mind in a steady rhythm, accompanied by her rising despair.

After her narrow escape, getting lost in the never-ending throng of people and an eternity of walking around aimlessly that followed, she found herself a spot with no people in the nearest area.

It was in a run-down warehouse. She was really desperate to get away from everyone on the streets. Jamie didn't feel safe out there - and not without good reason.

After her little encounter, she felt as if she was being watched from every corner, her feelings of unease only increasing over time. While walking down the street, she couldn't keep herself from looking around nervously all the time, as if someone from the crowd might pounce on her any minute.

The girl was reluctant to enter the deserted place at first but the need to hide from any and all that might have ill intentions towards her had won out. She had slid away from the main road as discreetly as she could. Jamie was lucky the place was as abandoned as it seemed to be.

Right now, she was tired, dehydrated, hungry, and with no clue on _what to do,_ with her phone and clothes as her only possessions.

_My phone..._

As soon as she remembered that she still had it, she dug it out of her pocket. The screen lit up and the picture of her husky, Koda, greeted her.

Jamie felt a fresh wave of homesickness wash over her at the sight. She already missed everything about her life - her family and friends, her dog, her house. Hell, she even missed her god-damned dorm room.

Many painful questions were nagging at her mind, some of which would probably be forever left unanswered.

Would she be listed as missing? Would they be searching for her?

What would her parents do once they found out about her disappearance? Would they ever find out what happened to her?

And could she ever... _come back_?

How was it even possible that she was here!?

It was as if there something raw in her throat. Suddenly, moisture appeared on her cheeks.

She felt suffocating helplessness. And also alone - so very, _very_ alone, in this huge, strange universe where she never should have found herself in.

The feelings grew within her steadily, their gnarled roots reaching out in all directions and soon encompassing her entire being.

The girl couldn't hold it in any longer. She broke out into sobs.

Jamie just sat there, crying uncontrollably, for an unknown amount of time. She didn't stop until her shirt was almost entirely wet from tears and snot.

_Oh, great..._

There was nothing she could wipe herself with, so it seemed she would have to wait for the remains of her breakdown to dry up.

When she managed to steady her breathing and overall find some semblance of calm, the most important question yet had come back to bother her.

_What now?_

Jamie would've liked to pretend that she was safe in this provisional shelter that she discovered, if just for the sake of not going insane with anxiety. But deep down she knew that anybody or really _anything_ could enter at any given time. That alone almost made the full-blown paranoia that was currently buried somewhere in the back of her mind resurface.

Jamie didn't want to die in some forgotten hole in what seemed to be a fictional universe, away from everyone she loved and cared about.

There had to be something she could do.

At that moment, she promised herself she would at least try to survive, even if that task alone seemed impossible to achieve.

With newfound resolve, she decided to pick up the pieces and think of her options.

First of all, she came to a conclusion that it would be great to make use of her knowledge and try to pinpoint just exactly when in the timeline had she ended up.

_Oh god, am I seriously contemplating this shit?_

Nevermind the ridiculousness of the entire situation.

She reminded herself of the antennae-guy - when she asked him about where she was, he said she was on Coruscant.

_And not Imperial Center._

And that in itself was a huge clue. Unless some people hadn't stopped calling the planet its previous name during the Galactic Empire, she was most probably in the Republic - Galactic Republic - or the Old Republic...

As far as Jamie knew, the Republic had existed for millennia. So she could be in any point in time before the Empire took over.

 _So basically I still don't know anything. Good job,_ _me._

_Okay, so for the sake of not getting thrown for a loop, let's assume it's... the Clone Wars, or somewhere close to that._

It was one of Jamie's best known time periods. She also played both KOTOR games but the knowledge from a 7-season show and a trilogy of movies beat two games, no matter how great they were.

If that was the case, and she really was here during the Clone Wars or a little before them-

_Maybe I don't want that!?_

Oh yes, maybe that actually wasn't the best idea. All the way from a massive war raging across the Galaxy, two homicidal horned Sith running around, many various other problems tightly related to the galactic slaughter, up to the Chancellor actually being Darth Sidious just playing chess with himself. And also, the Order 66 fast approaching.

So, Jamie hoped that was not it.

On the other hand, there were events from KOTOR. The idea of an existing Sith Empire at war with the crumbling Republic wasn't uplifting either. It may have actually been worse than living in a Republic led by a disguised machiavellian - instead with people like Darth Nihillus around.

The thought that someone like Nihillus might have existed _at some point_ in time was enough to make a shudder run down her spine. Hell, the Star Wars Universe was actually a pretty scary place overall.

_Is it even canon? What about the legends? Are they... included? How does that work?_

Jamie had no idea and as of now, no means of finding out. The entire mishmash of information almost made her head spin.

That was all the time periods that she understood. There was also the apparent thousand-year peace, where the Galactic Republic was the only large political body in the galaxy, or so she was led to believe.

_Maybe I'm in the Galactic Republic - and during peacetime?_

It would be the best option for her, probably. She would be safe from the war, the Sith would be in hiding and nowhere near achieving their goal.

_All I can do is hope right now..._

Even if she ended up in some _important_ time period - what could she do?

_I don't know. Maybe warn everyone!?_

As soon as she thought that, a tenseness overcame her entire being. A thousand thoughts on how that could go wrong appeared at the forefront of her mind.

As a certain theory said - a very small change may make the system behave completely differently _._

_Butterfly effect._

_But what if my appearance had already... changed something?_

She hoped not. If suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, things became unpredictable... Jamie didn't know how she would deal with that. Could the whole galaxy get more screwed over than it already was?

_Maybe I don't want to know._

Maybe she didn't. Even thinking about revealing what sensitive information she possessed made her freeze up.

At the same time... so many would die if she withheld it.

She suddenly felt so heavy. As if a million lives depended upon-

_Stop!_

_I don't even **know** \- Let's focus on something more in the now._

_Like survival_ _!_

That was an important matter indeed. The most important matter, probably.

She was sure she wasn't on surface-level Coruscant - that much was obvious. Which meant that she must've been somewhere on the lower levels. For a fact, Jamie knew that they got more dangerous the lower you went. Oh, and they were notorious crime-infested holes of scum and villainy.

_The absolute best fucking place I could have found myself in..._

Her theoretical knowledge had proven itself quite true so far.

Right now, she had a roof over her head but nothing else. She still needed something to eat and drink, or she would slowly wither away and _die_.

_And how do I get that? I have no currency, no nothing!_

There was one option.

_Do I- no, I can't do that-_

_That- that is not okay..._

Even thinking about stealing something made a lump appear in her throat. Jamie, in all of her life, had never thought about doing such a thing before - maybe sans that one time when she was seven, but she was just a _stupid little kid_ back then - she was once robbed herself, though. She knew how it felt like - she didn't want anyone to experience that because of her.

_But what other choice do I have?_

It made her go over to thinking about the benefits of just begging on the street, hopeful that some merciful soul would throw money at her.

_If these people have anything to throw..._

_Maybe I should try employment?_

Why did she have a feeling that wouldn't go over well?

Maybe because this place was what seemed to be a slum crossed with a nightclub district and there was no way in hell for her to explore further as of yet.

So her thoughts circled back to the one thing she dreaded the most.

_Just some fruits from the merchant stall, huh?_

_That's close to nothing... they probably won't even notice..._

The temptation was there. But something deep within her recoiled in disgust.

_**No** , I can't._

She could still ask someone on the street for money. Maybe a good Samaritan would turn up.

With that thought, she had made up her mind. She stood up slowly, her legs painfully stiff from sitting in one position for so long, ready to finally set out and do something.

Jamie decided she definitely wouldn't stray far away from the warehouse - not when it was the only 'safe' place she knew. The girl hoped it would stay that way for the foreseeable future.

* * *

The street was almost deserted. Heaps of litter were strewn haphazardly across and the occasional passerby was usually either so shady looking she chose not to approach, or they didn't have anything to give her.

"E-Excuse me!" She tried again with a woman walking by, hopeful that maybe this time luck would be on her side. "Do you maybe have some money to spare? I just need to buy something to eat-"

The woman looked at her. Her face was hardened and there were a few brown streaks in her otherwise gray hair. There was visible pity in her eyes.

_Maybe this is it..._

Her hopes were shattered once the woman spoke.

"I'm sorry kiddo but I can barely feed meself with what I have. Though I wish the best of luck to ya. Don't you have anywhere to go?"

"I-" That _stung_. "No ma'm."

The woman's face fell even more.

"That's... 'm sorry kid." She put a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Stay away from those bandits young lady." After saying that, she left in a hurry.

The girl was left alone once again.

A blast of wind moved away some of the trash that was laying on the ground, making it even more scattered than it was before. The never-ending ambiance of clutter and engines became even louder in the absence of any nearer sources of sound.

_Fuck..._

She sighed. It was a _very_ long and audible sigh.

Any and all hope that might have once existed within her had evaporated, like water from a boiled-over kettle. She wouldn't get anything this way.

_But I can't-_

Her thought process was interrupted by a low rumble - a rumble that had resounded directly from her stomach.

Jamie started walking forward, head dipped in resignation. Her mind was more and more clouded over by one, single sensation - hunger. She was starving... a little longer and she might consider eating the mold off the walls.

The girl wasn't sure how long had she been walking in one direction. It could have been mere minutes - that didn't stop them from feeling like an eternity.

She paused when her eyes fell upon something loosely resembling a square. There were stalls placed all around it... stalls that sold _food_.

_Oh my-_

_Thank God! Or the **Force**! Whichever brought me to this beautiful place!_

The massive relief she felt when she saw it all could be reminiscent of a rock boulder falling off her shoulders.

As the smells of cooked meat and vegetables - or something like them, anyway - reached her nose, Jamie felt her mouth instantaneously water.

_Oh, yes..._

She almost forgot that she still needed money.

Almost.

_Oh, no..._

_Maybe I should try again...?_

She tried to reignite her resolve to ask around. To no avail - after a dozen or so failures, something was telling her that _nobody_ here would be willing to spare a coin.

Suddenly, a different idea had come to her. A desperate one, perhaps, but anything was worth a try at that point.

Jamie approached one of the stalls, a whirlwind of anxiety stirring up inside her.

"Um, hello." The conically horned, fur-covered alien manning the stall looked at her. The awareness that she was standing before yet another extraterrestrial still made her head spin a little bit, even if she was slowly getting used to it. "Could I maybe get something to eat?"

"Got any credits?" He asked, boredly.

"Not really... But maybe I could, uh, exchange something?" She tried to find the best words to voice out her proposal but it came out pitifully anyway.

"Like what?" The alien rose a furry brow.

Her phone was the one thing she didn't want to part with. But... she still _needed_ a meal. And maybe some credits, too. There was possibly no other way to get that.

_I guess it would've been inevitable anyway..._

That didn't make her any less unhappy.

Jamie pulled it out of her pocket. "How about this? I'll take a meal and... thirty credits for it." Was that a lot in Republic currency?

The alien took the Earth-issue device into his clawed hands. He made a show of looking it over.

"The hell is this, girlie? Some kind of ancient commn unit? Ha! Thirty credits? And a meal!? Where do you think you are? Is this some kind of _joke_?" He exploded.

_Damn it!_

At his outburst, she lost probably every ounce of optimism that had been left within the bowels of her soul.

 _I should've_ _known how this would end._

_Why did I even try!?_

"Okay then, _nevermind,_ forget I asked-"

"Let me give you a piece of advice. Down here, nothing's for free. If you want to get something, you need to give something back. This _thing_ here - it's _worthless_. It's _nothing_. Either give me something of value or get lost."

_Okay! You don't have to rub it in, asshole._

Without a word, Jamie reached out and almost tore the phone form the alien's hands.

"See you when I get _something of value,_ then." She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes and quickly stalked away, not ready for another confrontation that would make her feel like more of an idiot.

_So what now? I can't even sell anything that I have, because it's apparently **worthless**._

_Great, fan-fucking-tastic._

At least she had her phone - a small consolation in spite of bigger problems.

In all her frustration, she nearly walked into someone.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking-" Jamie didn't finish, because that _someone_ had grabbed her by the arm.

_Oh no, no, no, not again-_

They were wearing a hood. And they were also... a little short. Not very, but shorter than her.

"Not here. In that alleyway. I have a... proposition." It was a feminine voice that resounded from the mysterious individual.

Jamie didn't protest and let herself be led towards the obviously fishy place. Maybe she was just too hungry and tired to care or maybe it was because she had this crazy, prickly feeling that told her that this _proposition_ might help her somehow.

Either way, she wasn't quite thinking straight.

As they arrived, she could see that the woman who had pulled her away had... pink head tentacles _\- l_ _ekku_. So, she was a twi'lek.

"Listen, if you're here to rob me, then I have the displeasure of informing you that I have nothing of value. Like, nothing at all, you don't have to point a gun at me, hell, I can even let you check for yourself-"

"I can see that." She cut in before Jamie started rambling.

"Oh... okay. Well then, what do you want?"

"You seem in dire need of some food."

Was this really happening? Had someone, out _here..._

"And I need it, as well. You're new here and I can help you. So how about we work together on this?"

_Oh..._

_Nevermind._

"You mean... we _steal_ it?"

Jamie was sure the woman just gave her an incredulous look from behind the hood.

"Yes, yes, steal it, what else can we do? _Well_ , we can do that thing you were trying to do for like, thirty minutes, but that didn't quite work out, did it?"

_What-_

"You were spying on me!?"

_How...?_

"You are as clueless as a baby bantha. You should be glad I found you, rookie, before any of the thugs did."

_This doesn't bode well..._

Some random girl had just offered her help in a theft. If this wasn't suspicious, Jamie didn't know what was.

Not to mention the fact that she still _didn't_ want to do anything like that.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't. In fact, you shouldn't trust anyone in this dump. But right now, I don't think you have a choice. Either that or starve." The girl let out something close to a chuckle. "I've already been through this, you see. I'm not lying to you."

"Well, that's a relief..." It wasn't.

"So what's it gonna be? I don't double-cross you, nor you me, and we both get something out of this."

To say that the twi'lek's reasoning didn't make sense to her would be a lie. And she was hungry... so very hungry...

_But that's wrong!_

It was not okay to do something like this and Jamie knew it. And yet, it seemed like she was just without any other options.

_It's just some food and maybe water. They aren't even going to notice it gone..._

With that, she decided. She sincerely hoped she wouldn't regret this in the future.

The girl swallowed her worry and gave her mysterious acquaintance an answer.

"Alright, deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back.  
> School got to me - I have my final exams this year, so yeah, I'm busy all the time. But I'm gonna write this when I can.
> 
> Sending love~ to you all.


	3. The basics of borrowing permanently

"Great. Now, I'll walk you through this, so don't worry, rookie. Follow me." With that, the twi'lek girl began casually strolling towards the marketplace.

_What is this? Is she seriously gonna give me some kind of tutorial right now-_

"Wait, wait, wait, what are we doing?"

"You'll see. You will be the distraction and I will do the deed. We split fifty-fifty."

_Hold on-_

"Uh, maybe let's slow down a bit? Like, what do I call you?"

_And who are you?_

"Hey, this is just a simple deal. Maybe let's not get too familiar-"

Jamie slowed down her pace.

"Well, maybe we should." This whole ordeal was suspicious as it was. At least she should know her mysterious _associate's_ name before anything happened. "I'm Jamie. And you are..."

The twi'lek sighed, but she didn't stop walking. "You can call me Trix. Now move it."

"Okay, _Trix_. Whatever you say." She remarked dryly but started walking again.

They were making their way towards the stalls further in the market. She saw that alien from before - the horned, furry guy. Just as he was about to catch her gaze, she looked away, fearful that he might start getting suspicious of her.

_Well, he should be. Since I'm about to rob someone..._

A pang of guilt blossomed coldly within her chest.

At one point, Jamie passed what looked to be a group of disheveled workers. There were also buyers haggling with vendors all around them now, and because of the increasing amount of beings human and non-human alike, it was getting more and more claustrophobic by the minute.

And Jamie found it harder and harder to breathe.

_Why did I agree to this again...?_

Finally, _Trix_ , as she had called herself, discreetly gestured her to stop.

"Alright, so that's how this is gonna look. See that guy over there? The one in the blue jumpsuit?" She asked, her voice lowered so that only someone really close could hear what she was saying.

"Yeah, I see him. What about it?" Jamie answered, in a similarly hushed tone.

"I need you to keep him busy. Be nice maybe, talk about how many of those meilooruns you would like. Don't care how you go about this, all that matters is that it needs to work."

"And what are you going to do?" She enquired, distrust once again churning in her gut.

"I'll do my part - swipe some of this, some of that. Don't worry, I have some experience, nobody will see a thing. Just do what I say and it'll be alright, rookie."

_Yeah... right._

"Fine. But it's Jamie to you, not _rookie_."

"Okay, _Jamie_." Hearing Trix's tone, the girl could swear there was an eye roll somewhere behind that hood. "You ready?"

Jamie didn't feel ready, not one bit. Little, incessant pinpricks of anxiety almost made her start shifting from one foot to the other.

She knew she would probably never be ready for this, not in a million years.

"Yes. So... you do your thing, then."

Trix nodded.

"Good luck." With that, the mysterious twi'lek stalked away into the thicket of people.

Jamie inhaled deeply - the air tasted unpleasantly bitter, the high levels of pollution probably the cause of that - and exhaled. That helped quell some of the worry that was brewing within her.

It was time to act.

_Do I really have to do this...?_

_I already promised her... and it's not like there is something else I can do._

She approached the stall, cautious. The man in charge of it seemed to be rather young - maybe shy of twenty-something. His jumpsuit had grease stains on it, which made him look more like a mechanic than a salesman.

_This whole thing feels crazy-_

_Scratch that, this whole place **is** crazy._

_And you have to do this, Jamie. Remember, he won't even notice._

She steeled herself and chose not to think about the implications of what she was doing for the time being.

"Hello. How much for those..." For a second, Jamie forgot the name. "... _meilooruns_?" She hoped she pronounced it the same way Trix had.

The man looked at her and flashed her a smile. It was small, and even a bit shy. Made him look like a teenage boy selling fruits for his grandma during summer.

_Why does this guy seem nice-_

"They are, um, three credits each. How many would you like?"

Alright, it was time to start bullshitting. She hoped the guy was secretly a prick because as of now, she was already feeling bad.

"Three credits? Excuse me but that seems like... a bit much."

He stopped smiling. Instead of irritation or denial, some guilt had actually flashed across his face.

_Why do **you** feel guilty!? Dude, I'm robbing you!_

"Oh..." He looked as if something suddenly bothered him greatly. "Uh, actually, I kind of agree. Maybe a credit each would suffice?"

_What!?_

_What is with this guy-_

The surprise must've been visible on her face because the man decided he needed to explain himself.

"This is my sister's business. I'm just manning this place until she gets back. And I, uh..." He chuckled. "I think she kind of _is_ ripping people off. We are all on the poor side around here and maybe she would sell more if the prices were less... y'know."

_Oh God, why him-_

Jamie had silently agreed with herself that the man was sweet - so sweet, in fact, that it made the whole charade ten times harder than it should've been.

She forced herself to smile.

"That is so very nice of you! I'll take... four." The man started packing them into something reminiscent of a paper bag.

Jamie needed to think of something else to say or this would end badly-

"Are you maybe a mechanic?" She blurted out.

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I mostly fix speeders and hoverbikes. You interested in something?"

"Actually, yes!" She had no idea where she was going with this. The words just left her mouth in a desperate attempt to keep him focused solely on her. "I used to have a _hoverbike_. But, you know, it just kind of broke down some time ago. It used to be my brother's but he got himself a new one and passed down this piece of junk on me. The worst part is that I, haha, have no idea what happened! I'm green when it comes to these things-" She really hoped that this improvised, jumbled story of hers made sense to him.

"I get it. That's what I'm here for. My workshop is just around the corner - do you, uh, maybe want directions?" He offered.

"Of course!" Anything to prolong this conversation.

And like that, he began giving her a description on how to get to his workplace. It was a shame she had zero knowledge about this place.

In the corner of her eye, all of sudden, she saw movement.

_Oh, snap._

Sudden panic ablaze, she turned the other way and pointed left.

"So, you're saying I need to keep on going in that direction until I get to that, uh, _Er'ranka_ cantina? And what then? Sorry, it just all got mixed up for a second-"

"No problem. You need to turn right and you soon will see that big flashy sign - 'Jed's Workshop'. It's hard to miss. Take your hoverbike and I will see what I can do."

"Thank you very much!"

She was out of ideas now. But there had to be something else she could say-

"So, it'll be four credits for those meilooruns."

_Shit-_

Nevermind that - the time was up, and her little schtick needed a conclusion that wouldn't make her seem too suspicious.

Jamie made a show of digging into her pockets. Right after that, she gave the best impression of surprise she could muster with her _very_ limited improv skills.

"Oh, damn. I think I forgot to take the money with me. Must've left it in my jacket. I'm really sorry about this, you've wasted _so much time_ on me and I-"

"It's fine. Maybe come back once you've got a hold of your jacket?"

Jamie smiled brightly. It was a wave of relief that made her smile so convincing.

"I'll do that. See you around and at your, ah, your workshop." And with that, she left the stall, first trying to look natural but once she felt she was far enough, the girl started walking so fast she almost broke into a run.

_I hope that this distraction was enough for Trix to... do her part._

Like little needles made of ice, the pangs of guilt didn't let up. They were growing stronger by the minute, their onslaught quite merciless.

She truly felt sorry for the guy. He was _so_ nice - actually, he was probably the first nice person she met since getting here.

_First person that is moderately nice to you and what do you do?_

An ice-cold feeling gripped her gut.

Her conscience just wasn't letting her have it, it seemed.

_Why couldn't we have robbed that asshole that didn't want to buy my phone?_

For a fraction of a second, she entertained the notion that this would've been a better thing to do, that she wouldn't feel so terrible afterward.

But soon enough her mind caught up to her regret and she reminded herself that what she did was wrong. No matter _who_ she could have done this to, it was _not okay_ to do it in the first place... The fact that she fucked over what seemed to be a decent human being was just a cherry on top.

Jamie was about to swear to herself that it would be the last time she would do something like this when she suddenly felt someone touch her shoulder.

The girl spun around, startled.

She was afraid it was the man form the stall, could practically see the disappointment and anger in his eyes as he would stand before her and call her out on her deception for everyone to hear-

"Whoa there, settle down, roo-, I mean, Jamie. It's me."

"Jesus Christ! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Trix tilted her head.

" _Jesus_ what now?"

"Nevermind. It's- it's just a saying. _Why_ did you sneak up on me-"

"I didn't. You were so distracted you wouldn't notice me so I grabbed you." She sighed. "Sorry 'bout scaring you, I didn't know you were this _twitchy_."

Jamie felt her fear and regret partially melt down to a singular feeling of annoyance.

"I'm not twitchy, it's just- what's your deal?" She cut off before she could go into a rant. Right now, she was too emotionally unstable to argue with a thief in the middle of a busy street.

"I have your share of the goods. So I came to give it to you, that's all. Y'know, I could've kriffed you over if I wanted to... but I didn't."

_Oh, how generous of you!_

"Okay. And what about that?"

Jamie could subconsciously tell that Trix was raising a brow at her.

"You know, I'm just gonna give you your cut." With that, she took out a bag from under her dirty cloak. She reached out for Jamie to take it.

The girl almost did a double-take.

"You are giving me the whole bag?"

"Maybe you should look at what's inside, first. And yeah, you can take it. Oh, and it's stolen too, by the way, just like everything else."

At that, Jamie deflated. Another stolen thing added to the list.

Cautiously, she opened the metal clasp and peered inside.

"Uh..."

She wasn't ready for the feeling of disappointment that had immediately invaded her mind upon seeing the contents of the bag.

"That- that's it?"

Just a few fruits unknown to her (one of them looked a bit like a pear), something resembling a wrapped chocolate bar, and a few silver, metal rectangles at the bottom.

She heard an audible, mocking chuckle from her fellow thief companion.

"That's it!? You mean, that's a lot! You didn't exactly give me a lot of time, ya know. And it's not like I'm a miracle worker."

Right. She wasn't.

And Jamie knew she should have expected this.

She really should have.

...

... _How the fuck do I survive on this!?_

"You really _are_ not from around here." The observation did nothing to quell Jamie's rising annoyance, if only, it added fuel to it.

She was also starting to feel like everything around her was closing in, and her breathing was becoming more and more ragged. The control she felt over her current situation began slipping once again.

"No, I am not. I really am not. And I-" _Don't say it, don't admit-_ "I can't really live on this. I could, maybe, uh-"

The twi'lek tilted her head to the side, as if very confused.

"-I could use some advice-"

"You mean... from me?"

The previously annoying situation was quickly becoming an extremely awkward one.

Jamie really didn't want to admit she needed more of this. Didn't want to admit she had nothing to call her own, either.

_I can't steal._

_I can't_ _, it's not right-_

The words she kept telling herself were losing on their weight with every repetition.

_I can't live like this._

"I don't know what to do and I- I need to get some more of this."

"And you are asking me for _help_?"

Precisely. And she was laying it all on a random, shady girl.

_A way to go._

"No, not exactly." That wouldn't work, she needed to phrase this right. "What about a partnership? I mean, right now. Today."

She paused, let herself hesitate.

"And maybe tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. We both get something out of this, don't we?"

_Up until I have enough to figure out something different._

Trix didn't immediately respond. For a while, she was just standing there, motionless. It almost looked as if she was evaluating something.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of awkwardness, she spoke.

"You know what? I'm gonna take you up on this."

Surprise and a strange brand of relief washed over Jamie.

"Really-" She cleared her throat, trying to seem more indifferent towards this than she really was. "-that's great. So, are we doing something else now or-"

Before she could finish, Trix stepped closer to her.

"Wait, you didn't _let me_ finish. You are not from around here, so I wanted to inform you. We are partners now."

She was uncomfortably close now.

"And partners help each other. They sometimes do _favors_ , too. Don't forget that, okay?"

Something in her gut was telling her she shouldn't protest at this particular moment. It was partially screaming danger, too-

She swallowed, truly unsure about everything in her life.

"Yeah. I won't." She blurted out. It was almost instinctual.

The thief stepped back and the air suddenly seemed lighter, the atmosphere less overwhelming than before.

"Well, then. Let's go. I have a few ideas on how we could get some quick loot."

Jamie smiled faintly but it came out looking quite forced. Her efforts at disguising the intense feelings of guilt were rather futile.

Trix just beamed at her conflicted companion and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, you will get the hang of this. Everyone has their doubts at first but they all get used to it."

Was the thief trying to _comfort_ her?

Evidently.

It didn't really work. But something deep inside her appreciated the effort, even if the twi'lek seemed not to care about anything but herself.

The girl fought the urge to let out a long sigh as she began following after her newfound partner in crime.

* * *

A bunch of small, triangle-shaped metal objects fell to the ground. They scattered all across the street, and the man holding the crate that once contained them almost fell over.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" She was. It was all on purpose.

The man - or actually, a near-human - looked rather crestfallen.

"Oh, hells..."

_Those were important, weren't they?_

_I really hope you don't lose your job because of me._

_I just need some of your money._

"Here, let me help you." With that, she bent down to help the man. Some of them tumbled into the crowd of passing pedestrians and were being repeatedly kicked in all directions.

"I know you didn't mean to walk into me like that, but they better not be damaged. I need to get those to Desryn Gren." The man remarked.

As if she was supposed to know who that was-

She shot him a confused look.

"I'm sorry... am I in trouble? I really didn't mean for this to happen, and you had this crate over your face, so I think you didn't see me either-"

"You know what-" The man seemed to desperately contemplate on something, the feelings of fear and something else clearly intermingling. "No, you are not. Just finish helping or leave me be."

"Alright." This was working so far. Right now, Trix needed to enter the scene.

Jamie really hoped this _Desryn_ guy wouldn't be mad at a pair of nameless thieves taking a small sum of credits from his employee. People here were either poor or bandits and while this one was surely the former, his boss could easily be the latter.

A hooded figure stepped from the crowd. It looked as if she was just passing by.

_There she comes._

They were loading the small triangles (could those be some sort of chips?) into the crate as the figure approached. Only Jamie could see her, while the man had his back to the twi'lek.

A moment and they were done.

"Thanks. And next time, _please_ watch where you're going."

"I will. And sorry, once again."

The man picked up his stuff and straightened. At the same time that he did so, the thief was passing him. For a few seconds, she slowed down so much that she almost stopped. He obviously couldn't see that, having been too occupied with keeping the crate upright.

He didn't even notice the wallet with his credits slipping from his back pocket right into Trix's waiting hands.

_Bingo._

She casually strolled away, as if nothing happened. Jamie started making her way towards the girl, whilst trying to look like she was just walking away from a mishap.

The man didn't scream after them. It seemed that he didn't even notice anything amiss yet. Before he would, they would be gone.

_We did it._

A refreshing wave of relief washed over Jamie. Through the whole thing, she was praying to whatever being- or presence (the Force?!) for the man not to get suspicious.

It was the fourth time she worked as a distraction and yet, she was just as nervous as she had been on her first try with the mechanic.

_Will this ever stop?_

She honestly wasn't sure. Every and each time, she had to convince herself that she needed to do this. That one day, maybe, she would compensate for what she took.

It helped, if only a little.

They reached a narrow alleyway devoid of any sentient presence. It was very dimly lit, and fit only two trash containers.

"Let's see what we've got." Trix opened the wallet eagerly.

One minute passed, and then another. Jamie waited in silence for Trix to take stock of the amount of money they both _borrowed._

"That's twenty-three credits, for each of us."

Twenty-three credits.

"I guess that's not so bad."

Actually, that was fucking great.

It meant that, in total, she had thirty-four credits. And that was enough for a decent meal, and maybe some other useful stuff, as well.

She also possessed some food now - two dried ration bars (those chocolate bar-looking things turned out to be them - or at least that's what Trix had told her they were), some fruits and vegetables, and also two bottles of filtered water. And everything was strategically placed in her _new_ bag.

Overall, it was great. Much better than she had expected it would be.

If not for the feeling of utter disgust with her own self, Jamie would have been overjoyed.

She had enough now, didn't she? For a few days, she could just live on-

"So, see you tomorrow then, partner?" The thief enquired.

"Actually-" She could live on what she stole for a few days, tops, but what after that?

Could she maybe get employed somewhere...?

But how would she get employed, if she couldn't read Aurebesh properly? Didn't know how to use half the things here? Didn't have an ID!? Hell, she practically didn't exist here - there would be no traces of her as a person at all.

She didn't even have a place to live, beside a run-down warehouse that was actually public property.

So, the words of refusal died on her lips.

"Yeah. Here?"

"That'd be a great plan. Show up at, say, nine in the morning, give or take. I'll be waiting. So, well... I guess this is goodnight then, rookie."

"I guess it is. Goodnight, _Trix_."

With that, they went their separate ways for the day - or night - depends on how one looked at it. In reality, the underlevels had no sunlight, hence there was actually no day-and-night cycle at all. The dim, ever-flickering artificial lights were all the people had.

And that was just _one_ of the very many depressing things about the place.

She couldn't help but add. "It's Jamie to you!"

She wasn't sure the girl had heard it, with her silhouette long swallowed by the shadows of the tall, dingy buildings all around them.

But Jamie hoped she had. If only to express that she wasn't trying to become what Trix obviously was.

A criminal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another chapter. I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> If there are any mistakes in spelling, please let me know.


	4. Miscalculation

The sound of engines and speeders whizzing past reverberated across the immediate area with an echo, the sound bouncing off of the thousand feet tall, pitch-black ceiling which was undoubtedly a foundation for yet another level of the planet-wide city.

Jamie sat on an uncomfortable, metal bench, at an equally plain, metal table. There were many people - and that of course included a vast array of strange-looking aliens that she had never even seen before - mulling around and sitting at similar settings. Some of the customers of the local outdoor eatery were like her, alone and trying to look as small as possible, while others stuck in larger groups, making the sounds of ongoing chatter a part of the ubiquitous, busy ambiance.

She was waiting for her dinner. Or at least, for what she had ordered.

The girl couldn't read Aurebesh, so she had to rely on the waitress for help. And that's how she ended up getting talked into ordering bantha beef, some blue fry-looking things, and a salad mix, with the assurance from the smug zabrak woman that it was one of the cheapest and safest things on the menu.

_Cheapest, my ass..._

Yes, that waitress was _way_ too content for Jamie to believe that first part.

But the meal reminded her vaguely of what she used to eat back on Earth, so she took it. That and she couldn't have had the waitress read out the whole menu for her.

It cost a whole thirteen credits...

That left her with a balance of twenty-one credits - one ten-cred piece, two five-cred pieces, and a lone, bronze one-cred piece.

Her thoughts of trying to live on only what she had stolen today were fully discarded, thrown into an incinerator, and left to sizzle up for the remainder of their miserable existence.

There really was no other way. Not as of yet, anyway.

But maybe in a few days... or _weeks_. She could have enough cash to maybe - do something?

_To do what?_

Jamie realized she needed to have some sort of plan. A rough outline for what she wanted to do - because she didn't, and just _couldn't_ live like this forever.

It was barely her first day here and she already felt like it would be her last.

Some part of her, deep down, still hoped she would just wake up. In her house, with Koda tugging on her covers to take her on a morning walk. Even in a hospital bed, surrounded by her friends and family, back from a coma induced by some traffic accident that she couldn't remember.

Her being here - in a place that _wasn't supposed to be real_ \- it felt wrong. _So_ wrong - like there was a mistake, some sort of insane glitch in the fabrics of the Universe (or the Multiverse, at this point).

She just wanted to be home, with mom, dad, Koda. Was that so much to ask for?

_Apparently._

Before she could delve into her progressively more depressing musings, a waitress carrying her order on a tray diverted her attention.

She had almost forgotten about the gnawing hunger, too busy breaking the law and feeling bad about it. Right now, it came back full force - she was so hungry that, as the smell of a freshly-cooked meal reached her nose, she was worried she might start drooling uncontrollably on the table.

_Oh my God, finally_.

"Enjoy your meal." With that, the woman hastily left and Jamie dug into the food.

It wasn't half bad.

Actually, it was _great_. _Really_ fucking great-

Everything was a five-star gourmet dish when you were as hungry as Jamie was at that moment.

The blue fries - whatever they were made of - tasted almost like regular fries, if not for the weird-ish aftertaste. The meat had a bit of a strange, spicy-sweet seasoning.

All in all, she couldn't complain. Not about that, anyway.

She had plenty of _other things_ she could complain about, though. Like her apparent homelessness, the fact that she couldn't read anything because of the weird alphabet... or that she was in **fucking** Star Wars, in general.

_Maybe I **am** crazy and this is all some sort of hallucination?_

If this was all a hallucination, it was _very_ convincing.

And _should_ she have thought it was all just a hyper-realistic figment of her imagination?

Something inside her, something deep down - she wasn't sure exactly what that was (maybe some sort of instinct?) - was nagging and prodding at her mind. It carried with itself a conviction - a certainty.

It was telling her, softly but firmly, that this place was real - not her imagination, not a dream. Everything that she did here really happened.

If Jamie decided to trust this feeling - as she did before - that would mean she really was stranded on Coruscant of all places, for the time being.

In short, she already knew the truth. The girl just kept on pushing it down, in vain hopes that everything would just disappear.

It wasn't going to.

Therefore she needed to start thinking about getting some different basic things - like a place to sleep.

There was the warehouse, but...

_I have nowhere else to go._

Yeah, it would have to do, for the time being. As unsafe as the place seemed, it was actually her best bet for now.

It was either stay there or somewhere in an alley - and Jamie preferred a roof over her head and at least a few places to hide over nothing at all.

She reached for the glass of blue, fizzy liquid to wash all to food down with. To her surprise, it tasted exactly like cola.

_Huh._

_I guess Star Wars has blue space Coca-Cola._

And like that, her food was gone, while her stomach wasn't rumbling anymore.

Besides that, she was just tired. The whole time, up until now, she had been constantly on edge - before, when she was walking around, afraid somebody would try and attack her and later, when she was working with Trix - that had been even _more_ stressful.

All she wanted to do now was to curl up and sleep. Anything would do, really - a bench, maybe the floor.

She would forget about everything while she slept. It would be a nice break from all the bullshit around her.

_Jesus fucking Christ, is this what has my life come to?_

With that thought in mind, the girl started heading towards the warehouse - or, rather heading where she _hoped_ the warehouse was.

* * *

**_Meanwhile..._ **

Amid the busy, packed-with-sentients eatery, a pair of red, reptile eyes followed the figure of a roughly five foot seven, human girl.

Very distinct, pink-and-white dye job. No sleeves.

Besides the bag at her waist, everything else checked out. _Yes_ , it was the same person Jorrsk had seen before.

The girl from Chi'rul.

Or, at least, _allegedly_. She claimed she had nothing to do with the dealer.

That didn't matter to Jorrsk. Credits were credits, and if Gren wanted to have someone like this, he would gladly take care of the business.

He would ask her _nicely_ first. If she wouldn't comply... let's just say, it would be time for a _hunt_.

On the mention of the mere word, Jorrsk felt his blood pump quicker, the favorite part of his _occupation_ shining through.

_Yesss_ , _a hunt._

He began walking in the same direction as the girl, his distance from her far too great yet to raise any suspicion. Jorrsk had his huge mouth contorted in a grimace vaguely reminiscent of a smile, the razor-sharp teeth that he possessed gleaming in the streetlights like well-polished daggers.

It was time to earn his fee.

* * *

It has been some time since she had left the eatery. Not necessarily _hours_ but definitely at least some-odd forty-five minutes.

Fifteen minutes of getting to the market (which was considerably less crowded, at this hour) and those _very long_ thirty minutes of _absolute_ and _total_ confusion.

She had been sure that the warehouse was only a few blocks away. But apparently, that was not the case.

As hard as it might have been to admit, Jamie was lost. **Again**.

_If this habit of mine doesn't cease to continue, I guess I'm gonna have to put some fucking markers on the road._

At this point, she was deeply disappointed with herself on more than just one level.

_T_ _his is fine. Everything is fine-_

She took a calming breath. When it didn't help, she took another, and then another.

Jamie couldn't panic. Not now, not when she was so _close_.

_I can't give up. Not yet, anyway!_

Yes, she couldn't give up. The girl had all the reasons to keep looking for the warehouse.

More so than that, she could swear that she even had this instinctual gut-feeling that _told her_ not to stop.

It was a bit like knocking. But instead of a sound, it was a sensation to her. A sensation as if someone was gently rapping their knuckles against a wooden door and she had her hand to it - but instead of the actual door, there was her mind. It felt as if that sensation was spreading from across her mind to every cell in her body...

All in all, it was fucking strange. Jamie was used to having gut feelings - she had them her whole life, just like everybody else - but they were never this intense and _weird_.

She sincerely hoped she wasn't slowly losing her marbles (if she hadn't lost them all already and just didn't know, that is).

The other, more plausible explanation - considering her circumstances - for her weird _feelings_ still hadn't exactly surfaced in her mind as a thought. The suspicion was there - deep inside, covered by layers of confusion, stress, and sheer exhaustion from everything that has happened so far.

But as of now, it was too ridiculous and just outlandish for Jamie to think... about _that_. Also, it would just add to the ever-growing list of new things she had to deal with and she certainly wasn't ready for more.

Nevermind her strange new feelings, she had to pick a direction. She's already gone to the right and it was just a dead-end-

The girl suddenly felt a flicker of emotion. And that was... odd.

It was a feeling of excitement. Of thrill.

She had nothing to be thrilled or excited about. She was lost - confused and tired.

So _why_ was she feeling this?

At this point, Jamie had the urge to tug at her own hair, slide down the nearby wall and bury her face in her hands.

_What the hell is wrong with me_ _!?_

It was almost as if the emotion wasn't really hers.

Like that wasn't enough, this instinctual feeling she had - the metaphorical 'gentle rapping' - became quicker and even more intense. It was more like someone was pounding at the door now, with unprecedented urgency.

_What the fuck..._

Amidst all the chaos, one thing was certain - something was wrong.

Unable to stay in one place any longer, filled with sudden adrenaline from the weird instinct-panic attack, the girl started walking in a random direction. For some reason, at that moment, it was the only thing that felt _right_.

Her walk quickly transformed into a rapid march.

Gradually, the girl became more and more on edge.

A short while passed, and it felt as if somebody was right behind her. Jamie had turned around more than a few times but there was never anything there - the street was empty.

_I **am** going mad._

There was just no other alternative to her, not at the moment.

_I need to get my shit together. I can't freak out._

_Stay calm Jamie_.

She resumed her walk at a normal pace. There was no need to hurry - or so she kept on telling herself.

_Stay calm._

The wall-mounted, futuristic lamps were always flickering, making the place all the more creepy.

In the corner of her eye, every shadow was a mysterious figure in the dark, ready to lunge at her with malicious intent.

_Stay calm._

It was just all in her head. Maybe she could go see a shrink once she stopped being so broke and he would prescribe her something?

Did they even _have_ shrinks in the galaxy Far Far Away?

Looking at the example of Anakin Skywalker, suddenly she wasn't so sure.

But how did they get mental health support, then-

There was a **_clang_**.

The sound reverberated across the street, breaking the eerie almost-silence (the engines could still be heard, although they seemed very distant).

Jamie felt her heart leap into her throat.

_Jesus shit_ **_fuck_ ** _-_

The girl immediately started and ran. She didn't really think about the action, she just _did it._

For a short while, only the sound of loud, quick thumping of her heart filled her ears.

That was up until she picked up a different source - heavy, quick thuds that definitely weren't coming from her own body.

No, they were coming from _right behind_ her.

_**Holy shit** -_

Somebody did indeed follow Jamie out here. Not only that but they were chasing her relentlessly now - and from their heavy steps, one could deduce they were a person of quite a large posture.

_Oh fuck!_

As if the situation couldn't have gotten any worse, she almost tripped on a wayward piece of metal junk.

Pain laced across her foot and the girl let out a whimper. But, although slowed down, she kept on going.

At this point, she couldn't really form any coherent thought, so her mind was a jumbled mess of ' _Ohgodohgodgetthefuckawayfromme_ ' and the such.

And though she managed to keep on running, her assailant was gaining on her.

They were _fast_.

Too fast.

Before she knew it, there was a scaly, clawed hand firmly gripping her at the elbow.

**_NO!_ **

Jamie screamed at the top of her lungs and tumbled to the ground.

For a second, there was nothing but darkness. Then, there was pain - because of that, she realized she hadn't actually managed to lose her consciousness - there would just be a nasty gash on her scalp.

Oh, and as she opened her eyes, the world around her was a spinning mess.

When the girl regained some form of orientation and fought down the nausea, she scoured her surroundings. Every nerve of her body was still on fire, and her mind was in a constant loop of adrenaline and fear, but the situation was too dire for her to take time to recover.

Jamie noticed both her legs and arms were shaking. Taking everything into account, it was understandable, really-

She also noticed the fucking _giant_ , scaly, pointy-toothed lizard-man standing over her.

And he looked somewhat familiar.

Oh, yeah.

That was one of the thugs that had threatened her before.

_Oh hell no._

_Not again, not **again** -_

"It wasss unwissse to run from me, girl."

_Unwise!?_

_What was I supposed to-_

She fought to find her voice.

"L- Listen, I told you already! I'm- I'm broke and I don't know anything and-"

_Please don't kill me._

"I don't care about that.

_Huh?_

"I follow ordersss. And my employer wantsss a chat with you, girl. You will go with me."

_Wait, what!?_

The girl had zero to none idea as to what was transpiring just now.

_Why_ _would-_

"Okay. S-Settle down now. Let's-

_Let's what!?_

Jamie swallowed anxiously.

"Let's talk. There's no need for further violence, is there? Who wants to speak to me? What do they want? Maybe let's start there-"

She bit her tounge before she could make the situation even worse for herself.

_Don't say 'maybe', you will just make him angry!_

The girl knew that she needed to humor the bandit for now, even though she didn't really want nor _intend_ to go anywhere with him.

Lizard-man tilted his head.

"Desssryn Gren is the one who wantsss a word." His huge mouth suddenly contorted in a grimace vaguely reminiscent of a smile.

A slight shiver went down her spine - that alien was terrifying. Especially as he stood on a deserted, dimly lit street with flickering streetlights.

_Desryn Gren. Gren-_

Jamie could swear she had heard that name before.

_Wait-_

She really had heard it - from the man she and Trix had... _borrowed_ from.

Something about the chip-things and how they were important to this 'Desryn Gren' person.

_Oh, fuck._

_What if he-_

_But how!?_

It couldn't have been _that_... could it?

"Asss to what he wantsss from you... he wasss quite vague one the detailsss. You would have to asssk... though I am certain he will _exzzplain_ everything to you firssst."

They did that, like, two hours ago? It wasn't even a bandit they stole from, just some worker guy.

All they took were credits-

No, this _had to_ be about their earlier encounter.

"Wait... wait! This is about, uh, Tal-" _Tal the what now?_ "The drug dealer guy. The guy that I _don't know,_ as I said. Does your boss not know? I swear, this is all just a huge misunderstanding." She stifled the urge to chuckle nervously.

It was a habit she would prefer not to have - it definitely didn't help in situations like these.

For a moment that seemed to stretch into infinity, the alien was silent.

"While thisss might be true, I don't know what my bosss wantsss with you. What I do isss follow inssstructionsss. You are going with me. Come quietly, and you may come out of thisss _mossstly_ _unssscathed_ , little thief."

She froze.

The words _'mostly unscathed ', 'little thief',_ and _'come quietly'_ were playing on a loop in her mind.

A cold feeling washed over the girl as if someone had dumped a bucket full of iced water on her.

Apparently, Jamie finally managed to fully encompass the length of how screwed she was.

Honestly, the odds were rather unfavorable towards her on this one.

One could say, _very_ unfavorable.

This guy was big. And probably really strong. Fast too.

He was all three, while she wasn't a single one. There was no crowd for her to get lost into.

She could try and go with him.

But what would happen to her then?

Jamie had a feeling nothing good. Hell, she would probably... die... after they had (or didn't have, since she had no clue about anything around here) whatever it was that they wanted from her.

They were bandits, for fucks sake!

She didn't know when exactly had she gotten up or when it was that she had started backing away - it was instinctual (like almost everything else she did, recently).

It served to agitate the thug. He started walking towards her, his sharp teeth bared in something which looked like an angry grimace.

"If thisss isss how you chossse for thisss to go... ssso be it." And with that, he lunged.

Meanwhile, the pounding in her brain was getting worse and worse. It was so intense, one would think that the metaphorical door could break down and bust open any second.

It had gotten so bad, everything around her suddenly seemed to be in slow motion.

The alien was very close now, his reptile face scrunched in anger, a wicked gleam in his red eyes.

Panic was roaring in her ears like static. There was nothing she could do - there was no time for her to run.

Or jump away, or duck-

Her heart was beating at a pace so fast she didn't know such a thing was possible without dying until now.

She didn't even have time to think as the 'door' in her mind completely broke down.

First, there was a rush of _energy_ , as if she had drunk at least a dozen Red Bulls. Jamie could feel many repetitive prickles on her skin - it felt like a small army of ants was marching across her body.

Somehow, her fear had retreated to the back of her mind - almost like it got _transformed_ -

Everything around was suddenly far away and distant, and yet, so very _close_ at the same time.

That in itself made no sense - but in her current state, it didn't need to.

In a moment of absolute clarity, she _pushed._

Like she was watching some sort of a movie and not actual events playing out before her eyes, the girl looked as the alien soared through the air and hit the metal wall with a _thunk,_ leaving a dent on its surface.

As the energy-high wore off and Jamie went back to her _pre-incident_ mood, at first, her mind just shut down. The girl just stood there - almost like there was some sort of error message in front of her face.

When that passed, everything descended into chaos.

_I need to get the fuck away-_

That was the first coherent thought in her shock-ridden brain.

Self-preservation kicked in and she ran before the dazed alien could scramble of the ground.

The girl ran and ran, across the deserted street, as fast as she could muster without spewing out her lungs.

Jamie took one turn, then another, jumping around obstacles alike, hoping with all her self that it would confuse her pursuer.

Her mind was an utter mess. Half of it was sure that she went completely insane and was now under some sort of acute psychosis while the other half was shell-shocked at her apparent use of the Force.

She needed to find a place to hide.

She needed to get to that fucking warehouse-

* * *

She found it.

Jamie had slid into that alleyway out of nothing but wild, adrenaline-propelled impulse.

She was slowly losing breath. It felt like the narrow side street was going to suddenly constrict and trap her inside, leaving her to be squashed by the walls of the nearest buildings.

But she kept on moving, even if her legs were slowly starting to disobey and could now probably buckle from under her any minute - even if the girl felt an ever-growing urge to fall asleep.

When she saw it - the abandoned, decrepit place - there were spots dancing in front of her eyes.

Jamie willed herself to move, although every muscle in her body screamed in protest. She found the warehouse, now she needed to get in _._ To _hide_.

It wasn't over yet, but it would be in a matter of minutes. If only she could muster enough strength-

The world was spinning, the spots now bright - oh, so bright-

_Don't faint-_

She promised herself she wouldn't. It was necessary to get to safety first.

_You need to-_

She was at the entrance - a ruined, half-open automatic door with some black graffiti sprayed on it.

The girl squeezed through the crack - which was a feat the Lizard-man probably wouldn't be able to do, she realized with some relief.

She was safe - _almost_ safe. Jamie, after having her little breakdown, had decided to scour the place she found herself in. And she found a small, upper area that one could get to through a ladder - it was largely shielded from the rest of the place and contained one small, office-like room.

It would be a great spot to set up... _something_... A base?

She sluggishly moved forward, to find the ladder.

...But could she really climb up all the way to the little office?

_Should_ she climb a ladder in her current state?

Nothing made sense, and she couldn't _think_ \- and there was a _coppery_ smell-

She was kneeling.

When was it that she had fallen...?

There was darkness across the edges of her vision, creeping steadily from all sides-

-in one fell swoop, in all closed in, and she hit the floor entirely. It felt nothing like metal - now everything could be as cozy as a bed.

And like that, the girl drifted off into the abyss.

* * *

**_Somewhere else..._ **

"Do you have it?" The zeltron woman held out her hand.

"Yup, _madam_. But I get the credits first." Trix stated.

Really, the kriffing nerve of those people! Cash first, loot later. Did they not understand? Those were the _basic_ rules of hiring a thief.

"I need to know if you have the decryptor... or do you not want the money?" The woman patted the grey briefcase while throwing her a provocative look.

Trix could show her the decryptor, but in no way in hell would she just pass it without getting paid.

The twi'lek dug into one of her cloak's many pockets and fished out a small, triangle-shaped chip.

This one looked exactly like all the others, with the difference that it wasn't devoid of an intricate coding-job - it wasn't brand new.

And it used to be in that guy's pocket and not the container.

Pity _Jamie_ couldn't find out.

Oh yes, Jamie, the strange human from topside(?) - or maybe even somewhere off-world. Her clueless new partner - as clueless as they could come.

Really, it was useful, even if it made her feel a little bad for the girl. She too used to be like that, once upon a time.

But now she knew what was important and what wasn't - so Trix cleared her head of any and all lingering compassion and went back to business.

She dangled the thing in front of the woman. When the zeltron was ready to grab it, she quickly retreated her hand.

"The _money_." She said in a sing-song voice.

The red-skinned near-human scowled.

Yet, after a moment of apparent consideration, it seemed she gave in. The woman set the briefcase on the floor and kicked it over to the thief's side with some zeal.

Trix threw the decryptor to the zeltron and ducked to get the credits.

"This won't be traced to me, will it?" She preferred to make sure. This was about Desryn Gren, apparently - the leader of the local thugs.

That made it a bit of a dangerous job - but still, she _needed_ the money. And how important one decryptor could be, really?

The older woman looked at her with her green eyes - and kept up the eye contact.

It was a bit like a staring contest, green to violet, battling who would break off first.

"That shouldn't happen. I _assure_ you." And with that, the woman looked away. "I'll be leaving now. Good business."

"Good business, indeed."

And like that, the twi'lek was left alone with her credits.

She started heading out of the complex and towards the small, dingy apartment she called home. There actually _was_ some worry at the back of her mind - that this whole thing could become more than she had bargained for.

But the girl had dismissed it - even if something bad really was brewing on the horizon, they would leave before it would get to them.

That's what they always did. Trix had this particular talent for getting away last-minute.

That, and more, was what she had to have if she wanted to keep her family _safe_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me again. I'm back with another chapter. Hello!
> 
> Soo... I hope it was okay. If you have any questions about the story - like the Force in this (as I feel that one scene could've maybe miffed some people) I'll try to explain my reasoning. It's not like Jamie is now suddenly a Jedi or anything like that. Nope, she has no control, it was more of a defense mechanism kind of thing.


End file.
